Lamp Shade Makeover

To go with our brand new roman blinds in the bedroom, we bought matching lamps for our beside tables. Today, I'm going to show you how I gave them a personalized touch that matches our decor.

Gather Your Supplies

• A lampshade to cover
• Fabric
• Spray Adhesive
• Pins
• Scissors or a rotary cutter
• Butcher paper or kraft paper

Trace Your Lampshade

To get the shape of your lampshade perfect, you want to trace it onto your butcher or craft paper. Line up the seam in the shade with the edge of your paper. Slowly roll the shade and trace with a pencil. You need to trace both sides, so it is nice to have someone help you.  

Once it is traced, you want to cut it out leaving about an inch to two inches extra on the end, the top and the bottom. 

Pin the Pattern to Your Fabric

Be aware of which direction your pattern is going. Make sure to smooth out any wrinkles as you pin. 

Cut Out Your Fabric

Now you want to stay as close as you can to your pattern while cutting. Now you can take your pins out and iron your fabric if needed. If there are wrinkles in it now, they will be there on your lamp!

Spray Your Fabric With Adhesive

Lay a drop cloth, or cover your work surface with newspaper or magazine pages. Lay your fabric wrong side up and spray it with your adhesive. Use long, smooth strokes to get every area evenly. 

Wrap Your Lampshade

Now for the main event! Line the edge of your fabric up with the seam in your lampshade. Slowly begin to rotate the shade, smoothing the fabric over the surface as you go. Press out any wrinkles at this time. Unless you are using a seriously strong adhesive, you should have some time to pull up the fabric and reposition it if necessary. When you get to the end, tuck your fabric under to create a nice seam. 

Clip Your Edges

You want to clip your edge fabric every two inches or so. This will allow you to neatly fold the edges over. If you are worried about your fabric showing through where it is doubled up, you can trim this fabric down, so less is being folded over. 

Fold Your Edges

Wrap all the edge pieces over the lampshade and secure them to the inside. This will give your edges a nice finished look. If you have any stubborn areas, try using a clothespin or a binder clip to hold them in place until they dry. 

Assemble Your Lamp

Once your lampshade has dried, it's time to put your lamp together. Try it out, and enjoy! 

Tips and Warnings! 

• Test your spray adhesive on a scrap of your fabric to make sure there will be no discoloration. 
• If you are using a shade that is not white, you may want to remove the fabric from the shade before applying more. 
• If using stripes, be aware they will not be straight if your shade is tapered. (See mine above) Part of my shade, the stripes go up and down, and part of it they are more diagonal. That's just fine with me though!
• Have someone help you if you can. Sam helped me trace the shade and apply the fabric. I have a feeling that saved on time! 

- - Happy Crafting! - -


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